Dead Man Walking
by demon sloth
Summary: Angel and Louis meet Charlie's cousin for the first time, whatever they were expecting, it wasn't that. Quick one-shot.  For clarification: John Connolly's Charlie Parker mysteries series  Set just after Every Dead Thing.


I have fallen in love with John Connolly's work. It's along the same lines as Jim Butcher's _Harry Dresden_ but with less supernatural creatures and more gay assassins. Yes, you heard right. A cannon gay assassin and a semi-retired thief pairing. Frickin genius.

Disclaimer: Charlie Parker, Angel and Louis belong to the awesome John Connolly. Harry Potter belongs to the one and only JK Rowling.

Warning: Swearing. Implied violence and slash.

Timeline: Set just after _Every Dead Thing_ – in the seven months between that and _Dark Hollow_. Late 1999ish meaning Harry's 19.

Other Info: In this, Charlie fixed up his house earlier because Harry turned up. Told from Charlie's pov.

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><p>Oh, I hear the angels talking, talking, talking,<p>

Now I'm a dead man walking, walking, walking.

~_Dead Man Walking_, The Script

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><p>Charlie had been a little surprised when he heard a car rumble up his long drive and stop outside his house. It wasn't Harry as Harry only knew how to drive an old motorbike and had said that he'd be back later.<p>

Warily, he palmed his gun and slunk his way to the front door. After everything that happened with the Travelling Man he was more than a bit paranoid. But if it kept him alive then who was he to argue.

Opening up the door a crack, he peeked out only to see a sleek black Lexus parked at a haphazard angle. Dropping his gun to his side he opened the door wider and stepped out just as the passenger side door opened and Angel stepped out.

"Ah! The ass-end of nowhere." Angel said loudly, breathing deep. "Smells good."

Charlie felt his lips twitch as Louis stepped out from the driver's side and rolled his eyes. "Man, you wouldn't know good if it kicked you in the ass."

Angel scoffed and made his way over to Charlie, clapping him on a shoulder and ignoring the hand-held relaxed at his side.

"Any reason you're here?" Charlie asked, stepping to the side so Angel could enter.

Angel shrugged, "What? We can't get bored?" he asked as he moved past and through the front door.

Charlie raised an eyebrow at Louis as he popped the trunk and grabbed two duffle bags. "Bored?" he asked.

"Tch, man was worried about you." Louis replied as he moved past Charlie as well.

Charlie shook his head at his friends and followed his unexpected house-guests through the hallway and into the kitchen where he found Louis dumping the bags on the floor and Angel rustling around in the fridge.

"Make yourself at home." He said redundantly as he sat on a chair. "So, why are you really here?"

Angel came up out of the fridge empty handed. "We can't come celebrate your new home?" he asked as he moved on to looking through the cupboards.

"Sure you can." Charlie replied, "But it's been a month since I moved in."

"We were busy." Louis said.

Charlie glanced at him, curious, but quickly shook the thought from his head and glanced back at Angel who had just let out a crow of delight and pulled out a bottle from one of the top shelves.

Angel glanced at the label and raised an eyebrow. "Ogden's finest? What the hell is that? I thought you didn't drink."

"That's not mine." Charlie protested.

"Then who's is it?" Angel asked as he grabbed a glass and poured himself a healthy shot of the whiskey. "You got a secret woman on the side who likes the fine stuff?"

Charlie grimaced. He hadn't actually yet told Angel and Louis about his cousin that had one day turned up at his hotel door. Mostly because he had been wary of the stranger – even if he was supposedly family – and he didn't want anyone else to know until he sorted out the situation.

Multiple background checks had revealed Harry had been telling the truth and that Charlie's grandfather really was the brother to Harry's maternal grandmother.

The background checks had also revealed that Harry had seemingly dropped off the face of the earth when he had turned eleven, resurfacing seven years later when he was awarded a knighthood by the Queen at the age of eighteen.

He had thought to question him on this but when he had turned to his newly found cousin he lost his nerve. There was something broken about Harry. Sometimes Charlie recognised the bone-deep weariness that was carved into the premature lines on his face, the spattering of white hair at his temples and the curve and set of his shoulders before it was hidden by good cheer and a wickedly dry sense of humour.

They had talked, Harry revealing everything and had somehow integrated himself so seamlessly that Charlie had, quite honestly, forgotten that he hadn't known Harry all his life.

Harry had become the little brother Charlie had never knew he ever wanted.

They had started out as tentative family but after he had arrived back from working against the Travelling Man, Harry had become something intrinsic to him. Shoring him up when he felt himself slipping back into that dark place populated only by the whispers of the dead.

Unfortunately for Angel he had taken too long to answer and barely got his mouth open to protest before Angel had taken a large mouthful of the amber liquid.

He did let out a laugh when Angel's face turned red and he sprayed his mouthful all over Louis, who looked extremely pissed off, and staggered over to the sink to cough up a lung.

"_Christ_!" He wheezed, sagging over the metal basin.

"It's a little strong." Charlie pointed out innocently.

Angel just moaned in pain. "It feels like my mouth's on fire."

"Serve you right." Louis said stiffly, wiping himself down as best he could. "You supposed to sip."

Charlie grinned and stood, motioning for his friends to follow him into the recently refurbished living room. His grin widened when he noticed Angel staring at his glass suspiciously.

"It's not going to bite." He said as he sat down, relaxing into the seat.

"That's what it _wants _you think."

* * *

><p>It was two hours later when Charlie heard Harry arrive, but instead of the usual guttural roar of the engine there was only a spluttering coughing, followed by a large clank and a dying whine.<p>

Louis and Angel were looking at him, surprised by the new arrival. Charlie ignored their quizzical looks, instead focused solely on the sound of muffled cursing coming from outside. There was the uneven stamp of boots before the front door slammed open and the cursing became louder and clearer.

Charlie glanced at the open living room door just in time to see Harry storm past and into the kitchen, limping heavily.

"Who was that?" Angel asked. "That supposed to be your bit on the side?"

"I…" Charlie started, but was interrupted by a thump and a crash and a loud

"Fucking bag!"

"Harry?" Charlie called through carefully instead.

His answer was the sound of the freezer door opening and the rustling of the icepacks, undermining the loud and colourful deluge of swearing. There was a clunk, another loud thump, a pause, and then a "Charlie! Come and help me get my fucking pants off!"

Both Louis and Angel's eyebrows rose at that.

"Demanding." Louis said

"Man," Angel added, "if I knew you were gonna play for our team we would have asked you."

"It's not what you think." Charlie tried to protest, half standing up with a worried expression.

There was more muffled cursing, a crow of triumph and a loud "Never mind!" followed by the padding of footsteps as Harry limped barefoot into the living room wearing only a white t-shirt and black boxer-briefs, an icepack in one hand and the open bottle of Ogden's in the other.

Without sparing a glance at the other occupants of the room he flopped down on the couch with a groan and propped his foot on Charlie's thigh.

Charlie had a moment to notice that his knee seemed to be swollen to twice the normal size before the ice-pack was dropped on it.

Harry whimpered and threw his now empty hand over his eyes, taking a large gulp from the bottle.

Charlie cleared his throat disapprovingly at the action and Harry peeked through his fingers.

"What?" He asked, "It's medicinal."

Charlie just stared at him.

"Legal in the UK?" he tried. It didn't work.

Harry shifted under the gaze and promptly winced. Grimacing he pulled up his shirt showing an impressive set of abs marred by scars. But that wasn't what drew the attention of all the men in the room, no, that was an honour awarded to the nasty looking bruise that spread across the entirety of his right-hand ribs and hip, dipping across his stomach. From the looks of it, it spread around the back as well. It wouldn't have come as a surprised to find that Harry had broken ribs either.

Angel let out a sympathetic hiss of pain and even Louis winced slightly.

Charlie wondered how exactly his wayward cousin wasn't gasping in agony. But by the looks of some of the scars he wasn't a stranger to pain.

"Is it bad?" Harry asked, his eyes screwed shut.

"Yeah." Charlie answered, "How did you get that?"

Harry made a noise of annoyance and shoved his shirt back down, taking another swig of the whiskey. "Some utter…_twat_," he snarled, "ran me off the road!"

"You know who?" Charlie asked, but Harry had finally realised that there were guests over and was staring at Angel and Louis curiously.

"Who are they?" He asked Charlie, gaining a raised eyebrow from Louis for his rudeness, "They're kinda hot." He added which made Angel grin.

Charlie sighed, "Harry, this is Angel," he pointed to the shorter white man, "and Louis," he pointed to the tall black man. "They're my…friends."

Harry smirked at the hesitation. "Oh, _friends_, eh? And here I thought my kinkiness came from my father's side."

"Hang on a moment," Charlie backtracked, "friends. Only friends. Why does everyone think I'm gay tonight?" he grumbled when Harry continued smirking at him.

Harry ran his eye over Angel (who was grinning widely) and Louis (who was looking stoically at them) again, "Shame."

Charlie felt entirely justified in poking him in the knee, drawing a hiss of pain and a glare. "Angel, Louis, this is Harry. My cousin."

Harry smiled winningly at them. "Second cousins or something like that. I'd offer you my hand but…" he gestured at his knee, adjusting the icepack so it didn't slip.

Charlie sighed and poked Harry's knee again which made Harry twitch. "Who ran you off the road?" He asked again.

Harry's grin dropped off his face as his expression turned thunderous. "Said his name was Finzetti or something. Acted like a pompous bastard. Like I was _supposed_ to recognise him or something. But don't worry," Harry grinned viciously, "he learnt why _that_ was a bad idea."

Charlie felt the overwhelming urge to drop his face into his hands. "Finzetti?" He asked helplessly. "Please, let there be two Finzetti's."

"Short, fat white guy with a receding hairline and crooked teeth?" Harry asked, "Seemed to be spat straight from the seventies with an inexplicable fondness for white bell bottoms and metallic shirts?"

"It was good to dream." Charlie sighed.

"What?" Harry asked, "He important?"

"He's the second-in-command to a small organisation that has taken over porn and prostitutes in the next town over. Rumour has it that they're dabbling in drugs and muscled out the competition with a campaign of violence that had the smartest running before they were slaughtered."

Charlie turned to see Harry sheepishly biting his lip. His face blanked. "What did you do?" He asked.

Harry scrunched up his face, his gaze darting from ceiling to floor to wall, all to avoid Charlie's eyes.

"Harry."

Harry sighed and let his head flop to the side. "Okay, first off, I would like to remind you that he ran me off the road. So any and all action that I took against him is _totally_ justified."

Charlie stared.

"I may have…" Harry started slowly, "called him a cocksucker…"

Charlie closed his eyes in pain as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay" He grimaced, "okay. You might get away with them teaching you a lesson if they ever find you."

"Er, Bird?"

Angel's voice had him opening his eyes to see Harry staring at him awkwardly.

"Please tell me that was all you did."

"Totally justified?" Harry tried.

Charlie felt his eyebrow twitch.

Harry shifted nervously. "Well, I…called him a cocksucker…then I broke his nose."

Angel let out a startled laugh as Charlie let his head fall back against the back of the couch so he could gaze at the ceiling helplessly. "Oh God."

"I guess that was a bad idea…" Harry ventured.

"Yes." Charlie closed his eyes. "Yes, it was."

There was a pause then, "So breaking his windshield with my helmet was also a bad idea?"

Charlie brought his hands up to massage his temples.

"A-and…" Harry hesitated, "setting his car on fire…?"

Louis snorted.

"And telling him my name and that he should 'bring it'…?"

"You a dead man walking." Angel offered.

Charlie patted him on the foot. "It was nice knowing you."

"You're not going to help me?" Harry asked in shock.

"Think of it as a character building exercise." Charlie deadpanned.

Harry sighed and flopped backwards, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he thought about the mess he had unwittingly landed himself in. He debated what to do whilst Charlie and his friends looked on. Eventually he came to a decision, sighed again and made vague motions at Charlie with his hands.

Charlie looked at him blankly.

"Well?" Harry asked, "Help me up."

Charlie held out his hand. Harry rolled his eyes before struggling to a sitting position, cursing under his breath, and then stood and limped out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Charlie called after him as Harry battled his way up the stairs.

"To fix it."

Charlie turned back to Louis' raised eyebrow and Angel's smirk.

"Fix it how?" He called up the stairs.

"By putting some pants on!"

Before he could ask - or defend himself from Angel and Louis - there was an almighty crack and Harry staggered through the door, collapsing gratefully back onto his seat. "Ice pack!" He said with fondness propping up his leg on Charlie's thigh again and putting it back on his knee, "It has been too long! You didn't think I would forget about your lovely self now, did you?"

Angel glanced between him and the door in confusion. "How did you get back down the stairs without making all that noise?"

Harry froze and then, ever so casually, shrugged. "I'm a ninja."

Angel looked like he wanted to protest and even Louis looked intrigued but Harry ignored them and flipped open the phone in his hand and they were treated to a one-sided conversation that seemed to raise more questions then it answered.

"Hey, I need to speak to head au-" Harry cut himself off as he glanced quickly at the men looking at him, "er…Fitzgerald. Yeah, it's Potter."

He started to tap his fingers whilst he was put on hold.

"Oh hey, yeah. Got a situation here. There's an organisation out for my blood. Yeah. Yeah. SIC is someone called Finzetti…oh you know them? Yeah, that sounds like them. Hang on, I'll ask."

He turned to Charlie, "Is the leader called Tourgo?" Charlie nodded and Harry turned back to the phone. "Yeah. Hey, why are they on your radar anyway? Huh. So that drug isn't really…oh, I can see how that could get difficult.

"Cool, well…if you could move against them before they kill me? Sure, I'll hold." He tapped his fingers again and started to hum under his breath. "Oh, hello, sir! Yeah. Yeah. Well thanks! Sure I'll autograph that for your daughter…yeah, yeah, uh-huh, okay. Thanks for keeping me posted. Sure, it was good speaking to you too. Bye!"

He flipped the phone closed again and leant back with a grin.

"What was _that_?" Angel asked.

"That was me sorting it out. Apparently those drugs they're dabbling in? Not drugs as such…" Harry grinned and plopped the icepack back on his knee form where it had slipped off. "My colleagues were very interested in what they were doing, just waiting for an excuse really. Thankfully, trying to kill me is all they need to push the paperwork through."

"Colleagues?" Louis asked quietly, shooting a look at Charlie, "Do we need to be worried?"

Charlie shook his head, though it was debatable whether it was in answer to Louis' question or Harry's attitude, but it seemed to answer Louis' question. Charlie trusted Harry, so Louis would trust Charlie's judgement right now, but it didn't mean that Louis would relax fully around Harry until he had made his own judgement call. Charlie understood that and wasn't offended because Louis had the most to lose out of all of them with Harry's casual mention of 'secret contacts'. There was a small part of Charlie, the part that recognised the darkness in Harry's eyes, that wondered if Harry had done it on purpose. If Harry had recognised the killer in Louis and subtly shown his own claws. But that was a little too much thinking. He turned his attention back to Harry. "And what would you have done if they _hadn't _been interested in them?"

Harry frowned, his gaze switching between Louis, Angel and Charlie before writing off the weird exchange, and shrugged. "Made the organisation disappear?" He grinned and the darkness that had been lurking in his expression the entire time disappeared entirely. Charlie was a little alarmed to realise that he didn't even notice it until it had gone. "But enough about that! Where are your very attractive friends sleeping? You know, I have a double bed. It'd be a squeeze but I'm sure we could figure something out." He wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk.

Charlie poked him in the knee again, inwardly trying to gain his equilibrium. "Not whilst I'm in the room, please."

Harry pouted at him but relented, quickly enough that Charlie was suspicious of whether Harry had picked up on his mood. "Fine. Spoil all my fun."

"I think you've had enough fun for one night, don't you?" Charlie countered, smirking at Harry's expression.

"Not nearly as much as I _could_ be having." Harry sighed and reached for the bottle, whining when Charlie snatched it from his hand. "Hey! My alcohol!"

"You're too young to be drinking that in front of me."

"Stupid cop instincts." Harry grumbled good-naturedly, "But I'm in pain!" He tried.

Charlie rolled his eyes, beginning to feel normal with the well rehearsed banter between them. "Then take some painkillers and go to bed."

Harry glanced through the open door and then back to Charlie, "But it's so _far_." He turned to Angel and Louis, "Would one of you like to help me up to bed? Or both of you? Maybe tuck me in?" His smirk turned wicked, "Or not."

"You managed perfectly well before." Charlie interrupted, "Go on, get up there."

Harry shot him a mock-evil glare, struggling to his feet again with much theatrical groaning. "Urgh, I don't know why I stay here, at this rate I'm _never_ going to get laid."

Whilst Charlie was distracted with his spluttering, Harry swooped down and grabbed the bottle with a grin and quickly limped out of the room and up the stairs.

"Wow." Angel said.

"Urgh." Charlie grimaced, dropping his face into his hand, "Teenagers."

"I heard that!" Came Harry's voice from upstairs.

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><p>Aaaaand done! Quick one-shot…though I might continue it if the fancy strikes me. Hope you enjoyed it :)<p> 


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